Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (E0-12)
by GVJ
Summary: This is the twelfth of 13 TV serial teleplays that re-imagines The Phantom Menace as a TV serial. The reader will note some spelling changes to some of the names (notably Quigon has been re-imagined as a more Chinese style name - Quigong - and Jedi has been made more phonetic as Jeddai). There are a number of other changes to the setting.


TITLE CARD: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title, followed by a roll up, which crawls up into infinity.

 **SERIES 0 THE PHANTOM MENACE**

A series of catastrophes has befallen the defenders of Naboo.

Pursued by the Mandalorian ground and air forces,

The Grand Gungun Army has retreated into Naboo's forests.

Unbeknownst to Quigong Jin, his liege Queen Amidala has been captured.

And both Mace Windu and Sidon Ithano, who had come to help the Naboo,

Find themselves locked in battles for their lives.

Meanwhile, Captain Ric Olié leads his small band of pilots and soldiers to Theed's spaceport

In a desperate attempt to relieve their embattled allies…

 **EPISODE 0.12 LORD OF THE SITH**

INT. ESTABLISHING – DIMLY LIT TUNNEL EXIT – MAINTENANCE HANGAR – THEED SPACEPORT

Ric Olié, Sergeant Pì Liú, almost a dozen pilots and Royal Guards and a pair of astromech droids peer into the hangar's dim interior.

LIÚ: (to Ric) Looks clear.

RIC: Yeah, that's what worries me.

LIÚ: (to his squad) All right, four-person fire teams, Ångstöm, your team takes that small side door. Voßen, your team's with mine. We're covering the main doors.

As Liú and his Royal Guards move towards the hangar's two exits, Ric turns to his paltry force of pilots and droids.

RIC: Alright, the first thing to do is separate what's air-worthy from what's not. If it flies it goes up.

(to Sham) Sham, take R2 and see if you can rustle up any munitions. Proton torpedoes would be really helpful.

The other pilots mumble their ascents and spread out among the seven N-1 Starfighters in various states of disassembly. Ric watches Sham and R2 head towards a pile of pallets and crates in one corner of the cavernous space for a moment before moving to a wall of workbenches and storage lockers.

The squadron leader makes a bee-line towards a bank of astromech droids standing in a quintet of charging stations. Unfortunately there are only droids in three of the sockets. The Captain flips a switch and the charging station and the lights in the three occupied stations flip from soft green glows to bright white ones as the squat mechanical beings awaken. Sensing the human hovering over them, the droids emit a chorus of excited chirps and beeps.

RIC: (putting his finger to his lips) Shhhh. Not so loud guys.

(explaining to them) We're in a bit of a pinch. Theed's been invaded. We need to get these ships into the air. Can you help us?

With another chorus of softer, affirming beeps and whistles, each of the barrel-shaped machines kicks their third wheel out and rolls off of the charging plates and onto the hangar's open floor. The three machines quickly disperse among the pilots who are already checking over the Starfighters.

Ric starts walking around the line of craft. With the exception of some open panels, the three fighters closest to the hangar doors seem to be intact. And as the squadron leader pauses to watch one of the newly reactivated astromech droids begins making small adjustments and then closing the doors to panels it can reach.

DHRUV CHOUDHARY: (stepping over to Ric from the nearest fighter) Captain.

(gesturing to the three fighters) All three of these are air worthy but not space worthy.

(pointing to the nearest one) This one in particular was in here for routine software updates to its drive control computer and is also spaceworthy.

(pointing to the next one closer to the hangar doors) That one is missing a blaster but is otherwise spaceworthy.

(pointing to the one closest to the doors) And that one has a bunch of bad seals in the cockpit and aviation bay.

RIC: This is good news Dhruv.

(turning towards the other four) What about these ones?

Dhruv turns and points at the nearest of the four. It is obvious that something is wrong with its engine because the cowling has been completely removed exposing the device's inner workings.

DHRUV: Looks like this one is down an engine.

RIC: One engine's going to be good enough. Get those droids to lock down anything that might fly off it, I'll pilot it myself.

DHRUV: Yes sir!

The pair begin walking towards the end of the hangar with the most disassembled ships. They stop before the next Starfighter down. The metal skin from the front and bottom of the ship has been removed exposing the internal workings of its nose and underbelly. Below it are a series of long chrome tubes and boxes.

DHRUV: (looking at a hand computer) Looks like the avionics on this one were fried. Says here they did most of the replacement work but they had to pull the entire torpedo tube, feed, and hopper system to do it.

RIC: Let's get the fairings back on it. It'll have to do without torpedoes.

The two move onto the next-to-last fighter. The skin behind the ship's cockpit has been removed, as has the socket for its astromech droid.

Ric stares at it for several seconds and just shakes his head. Turning his head he sees that the last fighter is even worse shape. Most of its skin has been removed and one of its engines has been disconnected entirely.

RIC: (pointing at the second-to-last one) I take it that this one is just down a droid socket?

DHRUV: (nodding) That's right sir.

Ric puts his fingers to his mouth and whistles to get his pilots' attention.

RIC: (shouting as softly as he can) Okay, gather round people.

The other pilots and astromech droids move to Ric and Dhruv. Sham jogs over from the pallets with R2 in two.

SHAM: (reporting as he comes up to Ric) Good news Captain Olié, there's an entire pallet of proton torpedoes.

RIC: (almost smiling) That's great news.

(to Sham) Go ask Sergeant Liú to spare us half of his men. Then take two of them and R2 and start loading torpedoes into the three ships closest to the hangar doors.

Sham spins on his toes and immediately jogs in the Sergeant's direction.

RIC: (to the rest of the pilots and droids) Listen up, we have three airworthy, ready-to-go birds. Before anyone goes up though I want to turn these four wrecks into three more flyable ships.

(gesturing towards the fighter that's missing its droid socket) We're going to team repair, double time, starting with the worst of the bunch. Let's take the usable parts from number seven here and put them on number six. C'mon people, let's move with purpose.

The pilots and droids, Ric included head towards the two mostly disassembled vessels.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – TUNNELS BELOW THEED'S FUSION POWER PLANT

Darth Plagueis is limping across some kind of drainage chamber as quickly as he can. His left hand is still firmly clamped to his left hip, holding his partially severed pelvis together with the Force.

In the room's center is a vast opening leading down into the warren of tunnels below the upper city and royal palace. The badly injured Muun staggers over to it and glances down the shaft below the opening. Other than a few protuberances bearing light fixtures the shaft's sides are relatively smooth.

MAUL: (from behind him) I have you now old man.

Weaponless, missing an arm, and crippled, Plagueis closes his eyes in resignation. He opens his eyes and turns to face his relentless pursuer one last time. The old Sith Lord looks tired and drained by the ordeal.

PLAGUEIS: Sidious did very well in choosing you for this task. In the end it would seem that youth and vitality does beat age and experience.

Maul gives an evil laugh and ignites one of his lightsaber's blades as he steps forward.

MAUL: Any last words?

PLAGUEIS: (sardonically smiling) Behind you.

Maul dodges to one side as a javelin whistles past him from out of the tunnel behind him. The weapon has missed the Sith Lord's face by fractions of an inch.

With a hiss of displeasure, Maul turns his dodge into a spin and holding his weapon parallel to the chamber's floor, he ignites his second blade as he turns.

The crippled Muun is unable to escape the path of this new blade and it neatly cuts through his waist, cutting him in half and lopping through his left wrist. Plagueis' two halves fall into the drainage shaft as his severed left hand strikes the deck plating covering the chamber's floor.

Maul is unable to see where the doomed Sith Lord has fallen though. He is too busy parrying Quigong's lightsaber.

The veteran Jeddai Knight attacks Maul with a flurry of rapid strikes that the young Sith Lord is hard-pressed to parry. Finally, realizing he won't be able to bring his superior strength into play unless he can gain some space, Maul begins to give some ground before Quigong's manic attack. Seeing that he has Maul at a disadvantage, Quigong presses his attack, forcing the Sith Lord to give more ground.

ANGLE ON Jarjar as, armed only with a long steel knife, he slips past the pair and makes his way around the edge of the chamber to another tunnel opposite the first one, where his javelin lies discarded on the metal floor. The Gungun hunter effortlessly slides the knife back into a sheath concealed within the back of his loose-fitting vest and stoops to retrieve the polearm.

ANGLE ON Quigong who's bound Maul's lightsaber with his own.

QUIGONG: (shouting) Who are you?! What are you doing here?!

MAUL: (with a gravely laugh) I am Darth Maul! The Sith have returned to have their vengeance on you Jeddai!

Maul uses the Force and Quigong's surprised reaction to hurl the Jeddai into the wall behind him. Quigong cushions the impact with the Force but the surprise revelation has slowed his reactions. He barely parries Maul's next attack.

A bit of molten metal unleashed from where Maul's parried weapon has sunk deep into the wall by his head lands on Quigong's cheek, stinging him back to focus. The Jeddai Knight is still hardpressed to parry the Sith Lord's onslaught of attacks.

CUT TO Obiwan who is jogging through a series of tunnels that all look the same. He passes first one and then a second ladder. Only when he is about to pass a third ladder does he pause and look at the tunnel's ceiling.

OBIWAN: (whispering) Master…

The Padawan reconsiders the ladder next to him, and comes to a decision. Grabbing ahold of the rungs, he angles his head up and begins climbing as quickly as he can.

CUT TO Jarjar as he joins the fray against Maul. Beset by opponents on both sides, Maul is forced to go on the defensive. However, Jarjar is perilously close to the drainage shaft's opening. He almost slips and falls several times as the battle goes back and forth between Quigong and him and their opponent.

Finally, it becomes apparent to us that Maul intends to take advantage of the situation. He intentionally strikes Quigong's lightsaber, driving its scintillating green blade up high and then strikes down at Jarjar's feet.

QUIGONG: (too late) Jarjar look out!

Somehow the nimble Gungun manages to avoid the deadly red blade but, as Maul brings the shining red weapon up to his chest, its blades parallel to the floor, Jarjar stumbles into him, pushing one of the weapon's red blades directly into the oncoming Quigong, who has no chance to avoid the unintentional attack.

For a brief second everything pauses, stock still, as surprise registers on both Quigong's and Maul's faces. Then Maul pulls his weapon back and twists his body to propel Jarjar's mass into his master. Quigong staggers back his lightsaber falling silent at his side as the Gungun hunter rebounds off of his chest.

The dumbfounded Jeddai Knight looks down at the burnt hole just below his heart as he raises his hand to it. Sadness mixing with surprise on his face, Quigong first sinks to his knees and then, tumbles forward, rolling onto his back.

Beyond the fallen Jeddai, Jarjar scrambles to his feet and thrusts his spear at Maul. At first Sith Lord menaces the Gungun but something about the hunter's posture makes him pause. With his back to us, we have no idea what expression Jarjar's face is making but something about it holds Maul at bay.

Thinking to pursue Plagueis' remains, the young Dathomirian takes a step towards the mouth of the drainage shaft but, the Gungun hunter blocks him again. Confused and stymied the Sith Lord backs up to the tunnel entrance behind him, gives Jarjar a savage hiss, and disappears into the passageway's depths.

With the Sith Lord gone, Jarjar tosses his spear away and turns towards his mortally wounded master.

ANGLE ON Quigong as seen from Jarjar's perspective.

QUIGONG: (weakly lifting one hand) Jarjar…

Jarjar kneels down and grasps his master's hand.

JARJAR: (voice cracking with sadness) Massa Quigong…

QUIGONG: Tell Obiwan…proud of him…

The failing Jeddai Knight reaches up to caress Jarjar's face with his free hand. It palsies with the tremors of the man's coming death. The Gungun gently grasps it with his own free hand and guides it the rest of the way.

QUIGONG: Proud…proud of…you…too…

Quigong's face goes slack, his eyes lose focus, and his hand drops away from Jarjar's face like the limb of a puppet whose string has been cut. Jarjar gently closes the Jeddai Knight's eyes and then, he briefly smiles a dark and evil grin. The smile is gone as quickly as it has appeared and his body is quickly racked by sobs as he collapses over his dead master's corpse.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. BRIDGE OF THE REPUBLICAN BATTLESHIP _OLD GLORY_

Ki-Adi-Mundi, Count Ku, and the battleship's captain, REN SENTŌ are gathered around a holo-table. A projection of the Naboo system floats above it. The three men are discussing tactical approaches.

SENTŌ: (sound fades in) …last report we had from the _Paladin_ was that they had been disabled and were transferring their flag to one of the enemy cruisers. I still think an approach from above the elliptical plane will be the most advantageous since it will let us take measure of the situation before engaging the enemy.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: We have an entire fleet and my Jeddai senses. Such a cautious approach will not be necessary. We should jump in at the _Paladin_ 's last known position and engage the enemy directly if their still in that area.

Count Ku looks as though he is about to say something but he wavers on his feet and puts one hand over his chest instead.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: (looking concerned) What is it?

At first the retired Jeddai says nothing, he just grips his chest and slowly makes his way over to an empty chair. Ku carefully sits in the chair as though the weight of a thousand worlds was precariously balanced across his aged shoulders.

The Cerean Jeddai Master steps towards the now-seated aristocrat.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: (wearing a concerned look) Count Ku?

KU: It's Quigong, his fire has gone out from the universe.

SENTŌ: (looking shocked) General Jin has fallen?

(to Ki-Adi-Mundi) Should we switch targets from the raider fleet the planet Naboo itself?

KU: (shaking his head) No, we must focus on the living. We should relieve General Ithano first. Then with the combined strength of three Jeddai will we turn to the liberation of Naboo.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: There's also Master Windu's commando. I'm sure that they'll be able to rescue Quigong's Padawan.

KU: I wouldn't worry about Obiwan. He's become quite a skilled swordsman. He's already exceeded Quigong's skill and in a few more years he'll have eclipsed my skill as well. One day he might even best Master Yoda.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: That's high praise indeed.

(to Sentō) How much longer until we reach the system.

SENTŌ: (to his Navigator) Navigation. How far out are we?

NAVIGATION: We should jump into the system in fifty-three minutes, thirty-four seconds sir.

SENTŌ: (to Ki-Adi-Mundi) We're still almost an hour out.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Very well, when the clock reaches forty-five minutes to go, alert all commands to make their ships ready for battle. Colonel Schaffly!

A Republican marine steps forward from where he's been stiffly standing at ease next to the bridge door's sentries.

SCHAFFLY: Yes General Mundi?

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Prepare the regiment for boarding actions.

SCHAFFLY: I'll see to it once sir.

The Colonel gives the Jeddai Master a sharp salute, spins on the balls of his feet, and quickly departs the battleship's bridge.

KU: Ki.

The Cerean looks at the old aristocrat.

KU: Allow me to come with you. Sidon's master was an old friend of mine. It would be a shame if we lost two in one day.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: (gripping Ku's shoulder reassuringly) Of course, your lordship. You'll be a welcome addition in any boarding actions that become necessary.

SENTŌ: General, Count, if you'll both excuse me, I'll prepare to fight the ship.

The two nod their ascent and the battleship's captain steps away from them and into the center of the array of bridge stations.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. MAINTENANCE HANGAR – ROYAL SPACEPORT – THEED

Ric and his pilots, with help from Liú's Royal Guard squad, have reassembled the Starfighters laid out in the hangar as best as they can. The soldiers have returned to their posts while Ric has gathered his pilots together.

RIC: Alright, this is my plan. We're going to launch in waves of two three-ship elements. Dhruv, you'll lead ACHAK and SIMON in the first wave with our three best ships. Get up there and take out those enemy fighters.

I'll lead the second wave with Sham and LAPU.

Lapu, as it turns out we're short a droid.

LAPU: (snickers) Good thing I talked you out of having us try to rig it up with its neighbor's socket.

RIC: (giving a wry smile) Yeah, that was a good idea. Really saved us some time.

You going to be okay flying without droid assistance?

LAPU: It'll be just like flying a T-9 on the weekends.

RIC: Okay, I'm convinced. Just remember that this isn't going to be recreational flying. We're outnumbered seven to one.

(to Sham) Kid, you got no torpedoes. Don't forget that. Leave cracking tanks and gunships to the rest of us. Focus on soft targets, enemy fighters and ground infantry, assuming we actually achieve air superiority.

SHAM: Don't worry bossman. I won't let you down.

RIC: (looking at his pilots) We lost a lot across the last few days. I know everyone wants to get some payback but, we've got a job to do. Without the support of the Gunguns our troops won't be able to liberate the city. And without us the Gunguns are going to get chopped up.

So stay alert out there. Watch out for your wingmen and good hunting.

To your ships!

The pilots split up and race for their respective fighters. Ric crosses the hangar floor to where the fourth Starfighter sits ready, even though portions of its engine cowling are still missing. The squadron leader gives a last wistful look at the other Starfighters as he reaches the ladder leading up to his fighter's cockpit. He pulls on his flight helmet and takes the steps two-at-a-time to the top.

RIC: (hopping into the cockpit) All set R2?

The astromech droid emits a flurry of bleeps and whistles in response.

RIC: Good. Power up the repulsor lifts. Let's get this thing in the air.

ZOOM OUT to bring the line of sleek Naboo fightercraft into frame. All down the line the high-pitched sound of spacecraft engines fills the hangar as each of the vessels drifts up from its keel-block.

Next to Achak's ship, Sergeant Liú and his soldiers pull open the hangar doors. The spaceport's tarmac directly in front of them is clear but off to the side, the fire team stationed by the hangar's side door has begun exchanging fire with an as yet unseen enemy.

PAN WITH the Starfighters, as first Achak's, then Dhruv's, and finally Simon's lift up from their resting places on keel blocks, turn in place, hover for a moment, and at last take off like rockets across the tarmac and before sharply veering up into the sky. Several large red bolts of light, fired by something large sitting just outside the hangar, race after them. One of the laser bolts manages to score a hit on the wing of Simon's ship. The fighter's entire wing explodes into a massive fireball and the Starfighter goes spiraling out of control until it eventually smashes into a field outside of the city.

ANGLE ON Ric grimly watches a thin plume of black smoke rise in the distance from his cockpit. Behind him R2 emits a mournful sound.

SHAM: (over the radio) I think there's a tank right outside.

Ric looks and sees that Liú and his soldiers have engaged some enemies hidden around the edge of the hangar's doorway.

RIC: I think you're right kid. You and Lapu sit tight. I'm going to take a look see. Once I give the all-clear, grab the sky.

R2, bring up the deflectors to full power.

The feisty astromech droid responds with a series of angry whistles.

RIC: (thumbing his proton torpedoes to armed) I don't care what that does to the keel block or the ladder. Just do it.

ZOOM OUT as the veteran ace slowly begins to edge his fighter sideways towards the open door. The silver and yellow craft nimbly slides out the open hangar doors.

CUT TO Ric as he depresses the firing stud on his controls and lights up the Mandalorian tank sitting just beyond the building's corner with blaster fire. The green laser bolts take down several of the raiders who are on foot. The vehicle's turret turns towards Ric and he nimbly pushes his fighter back into the hangar's relative safety.

R2 emits another string of angry-sounding bleeps and whistles.

RIC: I know. I see the tank.

He gooses his throttle and controls at the same time.

CUT TO an exterior view of the hangar as Ric's fighter shoots sideways through the tank's field of fire. The armored behemoth fires its massive laser cannon but is too late to strike the nimble spacecraft. Which circles the tank sideways as it hovers, keeping its weapons bearing on the behemoth at all times.

CUT TO Ric as he lines up the torpedoes' targeting lock. The tank's turret is traversing towards him again.

RIC: (into his radio) Sham! Go now! You're all clear!

(to the unhearing tank) It's time for you to go away.

He triggers the torpedo launcher and a fiery blue orb races from his fighter to the tank in a split second and explodes with such fury that corner of the hangar begins to buckle. We see Sham's fighter race out through the corner of Ric's canopy.

SHAM: (over the radio) I'm clear.

RIC: (into his radio) Great, stay on station and form up with me once I'm airborn.

(to Lapu) Lapu, get out of there. Form up with Dhruv's element once your airborn.

LAPU: (over the radio) Roger that bossman.

ZOOM OUT to see the last fighter rocket out of the damaged hangar building.

CUT TO Ric as he cuts down some raiders on foot.

RIC: (over the loudspeakers) Liú. We're all clear. Get your people out of there before the whole thing comes down.

CUT TO Sergeant Liú as he waves his acknowledgement to Ric's hovering fighter. We can see small arms fire from the remaining raiders harmlessly splashing against the Starfighter's deflector shield.

CUT BACK TO Ric as he watches the Royal Guards pull back towards the maintenance tunnel entrance.

ZOOM OUT so that we can see Ric's fighter turn towards the end of the tarmac, suddenly shoot down its length, and veer up into the sky.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – TUNNELS BELOW THEED'S FUSION POWER PLANT

Obiwan is running through the tunnels as fast as he can. He leaps over an opening to a drainage shaft as he pelts through an empty chamber. After several more twists and turns through intersections, the teenaged Padawan finally rounds a corner and sees Jarjar bent over the still figure of Quigong Jin in the distance.

OBIWAN: (shouting in despair) No!

The Padawan sprints down the length of the final tunnel, skidding to a stop next to Quigong's prostrate form. The still sobbing Jarjar looks up at Obiwan with bleary, tear filled eyes.

OBIWAN: (voice cracking) No.

His own eyes starting to blur with tears, Obiwan's face twists with anger, confusion, and loss. The Padawan angrily wipes at his eyes with one of his sleeves.

OBIWAN: (forcefully) Jarjar! Who did this?

The Gungun hunter blinks up at Obiwan several times, as though he is finally registering the other's presence.

JARJAR: Heesa…(hiccups over a sob)…heesa calloh heessin sef Dartto Mul.

OBIWAN: Dartto Mul?

JARJAR: (shakes his head) Dartto…Dartha…Darth. Maoo…Mal…Mauul…Maul.

OBIWAN: Darth Maul? (begins mumbling the name to himself)

JARJAR: Heesin sayin heesin dah Sith.

(pointing down the next tunnel) Heesin going dattah wayin, butin meesa dinkin youssa noah following heesin.

Obiwan's brows furrow as he considers his friend's words. A calvalcade of emotions war across the Padawan's face until he finally clenches his jar and settles upon a decidedly dark look in his eyes.

OBIWAN: Stay here with the master. I'm going to finish what he began with Sith or whatever he is.

Gripping his lightsaber in his right hand, the Padawan sets off at a jog after the Sith Lord.

For the briefest instant, another evil smile crosses Jarjar's face as he watches Obiwan go. But the smile is gone so fast that we are left wondering if we actually saw it.

ANGLE ON Obiwan as he jogs down the tunnel in pursuit of Darth Maul. As the seconds tick by he starts jogging faster and faster, until he is once again running pell-mell down the tunnels. It is not long before Obiwan's breakneck pace catches him up to the young Dathomirian Sith Lord.

Darth Maul has sensed the angry Padawan's approach and is waiting for him with his dual-bladed lightsaber held vertically behind him. The Sith Lord has underestimated Obiwan's skill though and just barely gets his weapon around his own body and in front of him to parry the first in a series of wild and lightning-fast attacks from Obiwan's shining blue weapon.

Rage fueling his assault, Obiwan presses his advantage, steadily backing Maul around the yawning maw of another drainage shaft in another drainage chamber. The wild assault culminates in an upswung riposte that Maul is finally unable to parry fast enough. The tip of Obiwan's lightsaber clips through the right end of the haft of Maul's weapon, permanently extinguishing one of its two scintillating red blades.

Obiwan is quick to follow-up his attack, but, free of the second blade's constraints, Maul change's his stance, effortlessly blocks Obiwan's attack. His rage waning, Obiwan is forced onto the defensive as Maul evolves the block into a series of attacks that drive the Padawan directly back towards the drainage shaft's opening. Sensing the danger, the Padawan attempts to regain the advantage but Maul slips in a Force push as Obiwan sweeps his lightsaber up.

PAN WITH Obiwan as, finally caught unawares, he is hurled back into the drainage shaft. He hits the shaft's wall with an audible smack that obviously stuns him. His lightsaber slips from his nerveless fingers and spins into the darkness. Obiwan begins to slide after it.

The adrenaline from falling brings the Padawan back to his senses and, he twists his body and scrabbles at the sides of the shaft, finally arresting his fall when he grips a passing light fixture some fifteen feet down.

ANGLE ON AND PAN WITH Obiwan's field of vision as a peal of dark laughter comes from above. As he looks up we see Maul looming above him at the mouth of the drainage shaft.

MAUL: (taunting) You are fortunate that you have fallen outside of easy reach.

OBIWAN: Just wait, I'll be up there in moment.

Maul strikes the edge of the shaft's opening, sending a shower of hot sparks raining down onto Obiwan.

MAUL: (chuckling) Unarmed?

(gesturing welcomingly) I welcome it. You can join your master.

Obiwan gives a frustrated shout as Maul continues to laugh. The Sith Lord's laugh is cut short though as he looks alarmingly at the chamber ceiling above him.

MAUL: (irritably) Your friends are arriving.

Maul deactivates his lightsaber and squats down to bring his face marginally closer to Obiwan.

MAUL: Rejoice Jeddai. Today you get to live. I'm finished here but we are sure to meet again, (scornfully) Jeddai.

With that, Maul disappears from the edge of the shaft. Helpless, Obiwan can only fume at the empty space where the Sith Lord once stood. Finally, the Padawan closes his eyes and forces his breathing to resume an even pace. Opening them again, Obiwan begins to swing to and fro on the tube-like fixture and then uses the Force to leap up out of the shaft and back into the chamber.

The Padawan looks down a tunnel that leads in the direction that Maul was going but, the now weaponless young man turns back the way he has come.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. SPACE – SOMEWHERE IN THE NABOO SYSTEM

The badly damaged hulk of the Republican battlecruiser _Paladin_ drifts near a trio of Mandalorian cruisers. Two of the cruisers and numerous smaller support ships have linked to the third cruiser in what is obviously a massive boarding operation.

CUT TO one of the corridors inside the besieged cruiser. A group of Republican marines slowly retreats down its smoke-clogged length, Jeddai Knight Sidon Ithano doing his best with only three arms to cover their retreat. However, every Mandalorian that falls is quickly replaced by another.

PAN DOWN the corridor to where we can make out the dim shape of Sergeant Krekki standing poised by the controls for a set of blast doors. He loosely holds a small blaster in one hand as he watches the marines and Sidon pull back towards him. A few errant laser blasts fly through the corridor's haze to impact on the bulkheads around him, scoring dark carbon marks into them. Krekki fires off a couple of shots in response. A marine kneeling next to him is quick to follow suit.

MARINE: This is hopeless. There's no end of them.

KREKKI: What was that Lotte? I can't hear you!

LOTTE: (loudly) This is hopeless sir!

There's no end of them sir!

KREKKI: (firing off another shot from his blaster) You're not wrong soldier!

The marines behind Sidon arrive and begin slowly pulling back through the smoke-occluded door.

KREKKI: (to Lotte) Fall back with others soldier!

Lotte rises to his feet and fires a parting shot but as she turns to go she is struck in the neck by a Mandalorian laser bolt. Krekki snarls in rage and snaps off a return shot.

KREKKI: General! Their picking us to pieces sir!

By not Sidon is standing close by.

SIDON: (parrying another half-dozen shots) Trigger the door and fall back!

Krekki fires off one last shot from his blaster, thumbs the blast door's controls, and quickly steps through the triple door's eight inch threshold. Behind him Sidon deactivates one of his lightsabers, stoops down, and hoists the fallen marine before stepping through the rapidly closing portal. After a few moments to the triple doors seal shut and the raiders are left on the other side.

Sidon deactivates his other two lightsabers and clips them back on his belt before reverently laying Lotte's body near the bulkhead. Beside him, Krekki looks down at Lotte's still form and shakes his head.

KREKKI: This keeps up, we'll lose the ship sir.

SIDON: (meeting the Sergeant's eyes) We just have to hold out until help arrives.

KREKKI: (half to himself) We're lucky this isn't one of the blast doors we had to cut through.

ANGLE ON the Sergeant's point of view as he looks at the battered remains of the squad that has just pulled through the blast door.

KREKKI: FALTO, HOPPI, secure our flanks. We don't want these guys coming round the long way through one of the bulkheads that we cut through.

Two of the marines peel off from the group loitering around the blast doors and head deeper into the captured cruiser. Krekki sighs and rubs at the bridge of his nose, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.

Sidon suddently snaps his head up and stares at the bulkhead above them.

KREKKI: (alarmed) What is it sir?

SIDON: They've arrived.

CUT TO the space outside the besieged cruiser. More than a dozen starships suddenly jump in from hyperspace.

ANGLE ON the lead ship of these new arrivals. It is a blocky battleship emblazoned with the Republic's maroon and grey colors. The ship zooms towards the camera until its shape breaks the frame and it is all we can see.

CUT TO the battleship's bridge where we see Admiral Sentō leaning over the ship's radar station. Count Ku and Ki-Adi-Mundi are both standing near the chamber's view ports looking out at the where the remaining Mandalorian cruisers have grappled onto the captured cruiser their allies are using as a sanctuary. Around the quartet of vessels swarms over a dozen smaller support ships, several of which have already opened fire at the oncoming Republican fleet.

RADAR OFFICER: (to Sentō) It looks like the raiders are engaged in a boarding operation sir.

Sentō looks up at the Jeddai Master in overall command.

KU: Sidon is on the ship being boarded.

Ki-Adi-Mundi nods his agreement and turns to Sentō.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Sever their connections. Engage the enemy fleet.

SENTŌ: At once General Mundi.

(to his GUNNERY OFFICER) Gunnery, target the boarding umbilicals. Cut the boarded ship free from the attacking vessels.

GUNNERY OFFICER: Aye sir.

SENTŌ: (to COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER) Comms! Alert all commands to engage the enemy's escorts.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: Aye sir.

CUT TO space above the battlezone where we see the Republican fleet begin firing on the raiders. The fleets smaller cruisers and escorts begin to disperse to better isolate and target the Mandalorian escorts that are bravely putting themselves between the Republican capital ships.

ANGLE ON the cluster of Mandalorian cruisers as a series of massive turbo laser bolts boil through the vacuum between the assaulting vessels and the besieged one. It takes several dozen shots but eventually the boarding umbilical links between the ships are destroyed one-by-one and the attacking cruisers begin to drift away from their victim.

CUT BACK TO Ki-Adi-Mundi and Count Ku as they watch the battle unfold from the bridge's viewports. One of the Mandalorian cruisers has begun burning in space.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Captain Sentō.

SENTŌ: Aye sir?

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Concentrate all fire on the rightmost enemy cruiser. We'll destroy them in detail.

SENTŌ: With pleasure sir!

KU: (as Sentō repeats Ki-Adi-Mundi's order) Do you have an armed shuttle that I can use to board the ship that Sidon is on?

KI-ADI-MUNDI: Yes but, there is no hope for Quigong then?

KU: (with sad eyes) There is only a hole in the galaxy where his light once burned. We must concentrate our efforts on those who still live.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: (to Sentō) Captain, ready my personal shuttle, the Count is going aboard the captured ship.

SENTŌ: Yes sir.

KI-ADI-MUNDI: (as Sentō repreats these new orders in the background) May the Force be with you Count Ku.

KU: The Force is with you always General Mundi.

With that, the Count turns and marches towards the bridge's exit.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. VERTICAL PASSAGE – MANDALORIAN DREADNOUGHT

Jeddai Knight Kit Fisto is climbing up the rungs of a ladder which, other than small light panels interspersed at regular intervals, is the only real decoration adorning the vertical shaft's steel walls. We can't be sure of his exact location in the mammoth Mandalorian vessel but he stops as he reaches a square hatch.

Placing his hand against the hatch's metal surface, the Jeddai pauses and seems to listen for something. Satisfied that whatever he was searching for is absent, Kit removes his hand and presses a green button to trigger the hatch's release mechanism. The square steel panel slides away with a quick pop, revealing a well-lit corridor beyond.

The Nautolan Jeddai silently slips through the square aperture and noiselessly moves down the corridor beyond it. Coming to an intersection, he stops to peer around its corner. About half-way down the corridor, a pair of yellow-armored Mandalorian sentries guard a doorway. As the Jeddai watches a Mandalorian in blue-grey armor exits the doorway into the corridor. The raider quickly turns away from Kit's vantage point and walks away.

The Nautolan pulls his tentacled, green head back from the corner and stands fully erect. Pulling his brown robes close about himself and grasping his lightsaber, Kit stealthily steps into the corridor and begins approaching the two sentries. He is only steps away from them by the time they notice.

The first sentry doesn't even have time to raise his carbine before the Jeddai's blue laser blade has cut him down. The second sentry raises his weapon only high enough to score a mark on the corridor floor behind Kit before he is cut down too.

PAN WITH Kit as he turns towards the broad doorway leading into an enclosed space with many control consoles. More than a half-dozen raiders are staffing the stations, with one in purplish-grey armor seemingly overseeing them. Having heard the hum of Kit's lightsaber and the sound of the sentry's blaster, they stare at the Jeddai in surprise.

Kit steps through the blast door's threshold and triggers it shut with a swipe of his weapon at the door's control panel. As the doors cycle shut behind him the Mandalorians draw their side arms and the armored room erupts into chaos as blaster bolts fly back and forth.

CUT TO Mace Windu as he calmly stands at gunpoint. Behind him, the Mandalorians have propped the badly wounded Rodian Jeddai Knight, Andace, against one of the dreadnought bridge's control panels.

JOJO: (still gloating) I am surprised that the head of the Jeddai Council came in person to try to stop us.

MACE: What did you even want with this planet?

JOJO: (bemused) Some of our patrons, like the one that told us to expect you, desire power. But we have other patrons that expect more concrete returns for their investments.

MACE: You intend to enslave the planet's population.

JOJO: Insightful. Just as one would expect from a Jeddai.

MACE: Why Naboo though? This close to the core worlds must be risky. Surely there were more appropriate targets closer to the rim?

JOJO: Now, now, that would be telling.

MACE: Your collaborator on Coruscant must have asked you to target Naboo specifically.

Jojo makes a menacing snarl as it becomes apparent she has given the Jeddai Master too much information. Then they feel a small tremor in the bridge's deck plating. Mace glances towards the bridge's massive view ports and we see a series of thick red laser bolts racing towards the planet.

JOJO: The turbolaser batteries…

(to one of her four remaining subordinates) Contact auxiliary control and find out what's happening.

The Mandalorian stoops down to the console, activates its controls, and begins to carry out her order. Behind them, Mace uses the Force to recover his lightsaber from where it hangs suspended on Jojo's belt and in one swift motion removes her forearm midway between her wrist and elbow before she can fire her blaster.

The Mandalorian falls back from the Jeddai Master in shocked pain but, still has enough wits left to draw her second blaster. Her aim is sure and steady and she gets off several shots at Mace who jumps back out of the way. The Jeddai Master hisses in pain as one of the laser bolts scores a glancing hit on his shoulder briefly lighting his brown robes on fire.

Behind him, Denwan and Jutta spring up from where they have been pretending to have been killed. Despite being wounded, both Jeddai Knight and Padawan Squire quickly move to dispatch the remaining Mandalorians.

Now alone, Jojo slowly moves back towards the bridge's huge windows.

Seeing an opportunity, Jutta rushes in to attack her but, the Mandalorian commander is even faster and more precise her blaster than the Padawan is with his lightsaber and the boy stops short, barely able to parry her shots. Sensing the danger, Denwan moves to his pupil's aid but the blaster shot he has taken to his side makes his movements clumsy and uneven.

Jutta suffers a glancing hit to one of his calves forcing him down onto his knees. Jojo lines up her shot and squeezes the trigger just as Denwan throws himself in front of the young Zabrak. The blaster bolt strikes the Jeddai Knight in the chest. Jutta drops his lightsaber and catches the mortally wounded Jeddai as he falls.

JUTTA: Master!

DENWAN: (caressing the young man's cheek) There, see, I told you that playing dead would work.

JUTTA: (grabbing the dying man's hand and sobbing) Master!

Jojo has kept firing her blaster this whole time but Mace has intervened as is now steadily closing the distance between himself and the injured woman as he parries her barrage of blaster fire.

MACE: Give it up. You've been beaten.

JOJO: (pausing for a moment) That may be so. But you'll never know the things that I know.

The Mandalorian commander smashes a glass panel over a series of buttons and switches. Realizing the danger, Mace rushes towards her but, he cannot cross the distance before she hits two switches and the panel's lone red button. Almost immediately electricity crackles across all of the ship's controls, shorting them out in furious showers of sparks.

Jojo maniacally laughs at the Jeddais' predicament before turning her blaster on herself.

Unable to prevent the raider leader from shooting herself in the head, Mace instead digs a commlink out of his brown robes.

MACE: (into the commlink) Kit. Kit, can you hear me?

KIT: (over the commlink) Yes Master Windu.

Looks like someone trigger the ship's self-destruct system.

MACE: (into the commlink) Yes. Get to an escape pod and we'll see you planetside.

KIT: (over the commlink) See you there.

Mace quickly moves over to where Jutta still numbly holds his master's body.

MACE: Jutta.

The Zabrak Padawan looks up.

JUTTA: Yes Master.

MACE: (gripping the young man's shoulder) There will be time to grieve later. For now, we must focus on escape.

Come, help me with Andace.

The Padawan lets the Jeddai Master help him up to his feet and, together, the pair quickly step over to where the badly wounded Rodian Jeddai Knight has managed to get to his feet. Jutta stumbles several times as his injured leg gives out on him.

In the end, Mace loops Andace's arm across his shoulders and his own right arm around the Rodian's waist to support the crippled Jeddai Knight's weight.

MACE: (grabbing Jutta's elbow to steady him) Keep your lightsaber handy in case we run into any more surprises.

JUTTA: Yes master.

Linked together by the Jeddai Master's grip, the trio make their way from the burning bridge to one of the escape pods lining the corridor outside of it. A moan escapes the Rodian Jeddai's tube-like mouth as the pair sit him down. The Padawan worriedly looks at Andace.

ANDACE: (to Jutta) Let go of your fear, young Padawan. The Force will sustain me until help can arrive.

The Zabrak straightens up his posture until he is standing fully erect. Then he closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath, and releases it.

ANDACE: (voice-tinged with pain) Good. The Force is strong with you.

Emotionally steadied, Jutta limps over to the lifeboat's hatch and triggers it shut as Mace helps Andace strap in. The escape pod shakes as explosions begin ripping through the ship. Mace and Jutta quickly seat themselves and buckle their flight harnesses. With a last look to reassure himself that Andace and Jutta are secured to their seats, Mace presses the button to release the lifeboat from the exploding dreadnought.

CUT TO a view of the clamps releasing the life boat. The barrel-shaped pod emits a series of small steam jets that send it tumbling away from the bigger ship.

CUT TO Mace, Jutta, and Andace as the look out the escape pod's tiny viewport. They see the Mandalorian dreadnought burning in space above them as larger and larger explosions rip through its length.

JUTTA: Did Kit escape.

Mace closes his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

MACE: I sense that he did. We'll see him again once we reach the ground.

As the escape pod keeps tumbling through space it, a view of Naboo begins to dominate it.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. THEED ROYAL PALACE – THRONE ROOM

Padmé calmly stands next her father's throne at the head of the room's conference table. Phạm stands just a couple of steps away. A pair of Mandalorian sentries stand guard over them as General Tekmet and Major Bintz discuss the pursuit of the Gunguns into the woodlands south of the city. Behind them, their radio operator is busy monitoring comm-traffic across the battlefield.

RADIO OPERATOR: My Lord! The platoon at the spaceport reports that a small band of resistance fighters have infiltrated one of the maintenance hangars and is sortieing fighters as we speak.

BINTZ: Alert the air wing to prepare for incoming fighters.

TEKMET: (turning to Padmé) Was this your plan?

It'll never work, our fighters outnumber yours by a seven-to-one margin.

Padmé remains resolutely silent. Her face is placid and calm, as though she is completely unconcerned with neither the Mandalorian general's words nor the blasters pointed at her.

RADIO OPERATOR: Sir…our communications are being jammed.

Bintz walks over to the Radio Operator and his portable console and looks over the man's armored shoulder.

BINTZ: What do you mean.

RADIO OPERATOR: I was hearing some strange reports of orbital bombardment and was about to relay your order when everything simply went to white noise.

BINTZ: That can't be right.

By now, Tekmet's curiosity has also been roused, and so he walks over to join his subordinates.

TEKMET: Raise the command ship.

RADIO OPERATOR: I can't.

BINTZ: Find the source of the jamming.

RADIO OPERATOR: My Lord. It seems to be coming from the command ship.

TEKMET: Impossible.

At this point the sentries have been distracted by the situation. The distraction is not enough for Padmé or Phạm to act but, it is enough that none of the Mandalorians notice Lieutenant Jansen and his soldiers arrive at the throne room doors until Jansen and one of the Royal Guards cut down the sentries with well-placed blaster shots.

Tekmet, Bintz, and the Radio Operator react like well-seasoned veterans and take cover behind the conference table before beginning to return fire. Jansen and the Royal Guards on either side of him crumple, leaving only three soldiers to keep the Mandalorians attention. Padmé is quick to use the opportunity.

The young Queen dives for the throne in a motion that makes it look like she seeks cover but, as she reaches the chair's arm she reaches out and triggers a small switch on its arm causing a hidden compartment to open. She takes two very small blasters out of the compartment and tosses one of them to Phạm. Together, the two of them shoot Bintz and the Radio Operator.

Caught in a deadly crossfire, Tekmet whirls on Padmé and tries to shoot her but Phạm steps in front of her, taking the deadly blaster bolt in her place. The Mandalorian general falls under a withering storm of laser bolts fired from the remaining Royal Guards in the doorway.

PADMÉ: (kneeling down by the fallen Phạm) Phạm!

PHẠM: (brushing a tear from the Queen's face) Don't. Our people…still…

PADMÉ: (nodding her head) We'll save them.

The Queen looks up as one of the three remaining Royal Guards scrambles over to her.

PADMÉ: Keep him as comfortable as you can.

She rises to her feet and addresses the two Guards by the doorway.

PADMÉ: Run quickly and gather as many of our soldiers as you can! We have to go to the Gunguns aid!

With a last, sad look down at the mortally wounded Phạm, the young Queen begins walking towards the undamaged Mandalorian communications console.

ROLL CREDITS...


End file.
